The right of the citizens to bear arms in defense of themselves and the State …
Speaking to students of a liberal arts college in a wealthy Philadelphia suburb, Michelle Obama explains her husbands statements about rural Pennsylvanians:
“If I’m telling you something that you don’t know, let me know,” she said. “Maybe things are better, and I’m just missing the boat and I’m out of touch.”
Yep, I’d say so.
Looks like gun owners in the Empire State are about to get screwed royally. I guess Assembly members were upset that California and New Jersey got a higher Brady rank than they did. Look at the margins by which these things pass. Scary stuff.
Lynne Abraham told City Council today that she wasn’t going to enforce the City’s new gun control laws because they are unconstitutional. Mayor Squidward (a term I have to credit to Wyatt) is trying to convince her otherwise. No doubt the rationally self-interested Abraham doesn’t want to have to defend herself or any of her assistant DA’s against Section 1983 suits in federal court. I can’t say I blame her.
Looks like the groundwork is being laid for a lawsuit. As much as I might think a straightjacket is the best way to restrain the good mayor, I’ll settle for a temporary restraining order for now:
Fairfax, VA-Today in Pennsylvania court, the National Rifle Association (NRA) filed for a temporary restraining order blocking the City of Philadelphia from enforcing recently enacted gun control measures. Pennsylvania’s state preemption law maintains uniformity over a statewide system of gun laws by barring municipalities from enacting gun control laws that are more restrictive than those passed by the state legislature. NRA is joined in this effort by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) and local citizens of Philadelphia.
Last week, Philadelphia’s city council passed a package of gun control bills that were clearly preempted by state law. Mayor Michael Nutter, in a brazen act of lawlessness, signed the bills. District Attorney Lynne Abraham warned the city council and mayor that their taxpayer-funded folly was unconstitutional.
“Apparently, Philadelphia politicians believe they can circumvent the will of the Pennsylvania legislature,†said Chris W. Cox, NRA’s chief lobbyist. “This is the third time the City of Philadelphia has tried to thwart state law by passing its own gun control restrictions. First it tried suing the state legislature, then it tried strong-arming the state legislature, and now it has decided to ignore state law altogether. Despite what it seems to believe, the City of Philadelphia is not above the law.â€
I’m going to bet the temporary restraining order is granted, given how the law couldn’t be more crystal clear.
Hillary holds a rally of 100 Pennsylvania mayors in Harrisburg, only 19 mayors show up.
Harrisburg Mayor Stephen Reed spoke for the group against the backdrop of a banner touting the 100 mayors. He criticized Clinton’s rival, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, for saying at a San Francisco fundraiser last week that some voters in small towns in Pennsylvania cling to guns or religion because of their frustration over their economic circumstances.
Maybe Pennsylvanians are getting sick of both these clowns. I know I am.
UPDATE: The first comment on there is a riot: “The rest were pinned down by sniper fire I’m sure.”
In the comments, TheGunGeek writes:
Target has been anti-gun and anti-hunting for as long as I can remember. They contribute heavily to some anti-hunting organizations. If you want to support a store that is still pretty good on the gun front, I’d suggest Ace Hardware for the things they carry. Most of the Ace stores I know actually have a sporting goods and gun section.
Good to know. I actually do most of my shopping at the local Giant. Rarely to I venture to Target or even to Wal-Mart, except when I was looking for some cheap ammunition. There are a lot of corporations that give money to anti-gun, anti-hunting causes. It’s tough to boycott them all. A key thing is awareness. Not many people realize the Humane Society of the United States is a radical anti-hunting group. When people hear Humane Society, they think kittens and puppies, and everyone loves kittens and puppies, right? We have very savvy opponents.
UPDATE: I went digging to find whether these accusations could be sourced, and I’m having a hard time. Target’s charitable partnerships are listed here. I suppose some of those groups on there might indirectly support gun control, but I don’t see any anti-gun or anti-hunting groups on that list. Target foundation grant recipients are listed here. Still can’t find anything that would be controversial for us. Here’s what they do say about community grants:
TARGET DOES NOT MAKE GRANTS TO:
- Individuals
- Programs located outside Target communities
- Educational institutions for regular instructional programs
- Religious organizations for religious purposes
- Treatment programs such as substance or alcohol abuse
- Athletic teams or events
- Fundraiser or gala events
- Advocacy or research groups
- Capital or building construction projects
- Endowment campaigns
So unless someone can find an instance of them making grants to anti-gun or anti-hunting advocacy groups, I’m inclined to suggest that Target isn’t doing it.
Word is in on the conference held a few weeks ago from Alan Korwin, who attended as a participant representing the pro-gun side. Read the whole thing. At the end we’re told that James Brady didn’t appear because Sarah Brady fell critically ill with pneumonia. I know Sarah Brady battled lung cancer several years ago, but I had heard it was in remission. Having lost a mother to cancer, I’m well aware of its consequences and the effects of the treatments, even after they have stopped. It’s not a fate I wish on anyone, and I do hope Mrs. Brady recovers from her pneumonia quickly.
I do think this is one of those times when the shooting community seriously needs to come together, as we did in the aftermath of Jim Zumbo. Joe Huffman has exactly why here:
Here is what really got to me:
Creating a record and alert system to record when a gun sold at Wal-Mart is later used in a crime. If the purchaser of that gun later tries to buy another gun at Wal-Mart, the system would alert the sales clerk of the prior buy and could refuse to make the sale.
Retaining the recorded images of gun sales in case law enforcement wants to view them later as part of an investigation.
Have they ever heard of “due process”? The RKBA is about to be declared, by the highest court in the land, as an individual right guaranteed to not be infringed. And yet if I bought a gun at Wal-Mart and someone stole that gun from me and used it in a crime Wal-Mart would hold that against me if I tried to buy another gun. Why stop there? Why not do the same for knives and baseball bats?
If Wal-Mart doesn’t want to sell me guns because I had one stolen, and it ended up getting traced, fine. In that instance, they will sell me nothing. More importantly, it appears this database will be maintained by MAIG, which means they will be keeping a list of traced guns. Get a gun stolen that you bought at one of these retailers, and have the police return it to you, as they should, you’ll be in Mayor Bloomberg’s database. Screw that!
From Armed Canadian. It’s actually far worse than I thought. Go have a look. Mayor Bloomberg is forcing Wal-Mart to go well beyond federal and state requirements, which Wal-Mart is free to do, and I’m free not to shop there anymore. As of now I am generally boycotting Wal-Mart. Go Target! Wal-Mart does not support our second amendment rights. Don’t shop there. Tell all your shooting buddies not to shop there.
Chicks and guns. And speaking of Geocaching, I think that’s one thing I’ve never done with Bitter. The weather is getting warm, and I desperately need the exercise.